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The fight to make poverty history is not over yet!
Please buy a white arm band and wear it to send a signal to the Australian Government that at the UN Summit on poverty on September 10 2005, Prime Minister Howard has the opportunity to announce a timetable to increase Australia's aid level to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income from 0.28 per cent where it now currently stands and show that Australians are committed to increasing aid, canceling debt and improving trade.
Unfortunately, Caritas Australia can't still offer 'Make Poverty History' armbands for free. But we are able to offer them for sale for $2 each. Please order your armbands by going to the Caritas Australia website www.caritas.org.au/education/mph_events.htm
Email, fax or mail the order form back to the attention of Margaret Rice or Veena Rajan.
Postal address:
Caritas Australia
19 MacKenzie Street
North Sydney NSW 2060
Email addresses:
margaretr@caritas.org.au or
veenar@caritas.org.au
Fax address: 9956 8342
Click here to order a white arm band...
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The Long Walk From Charity To Justice
"Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice"
- Nelson Mandela at the Live 8 concert
In 1985, Bob Geldof and some of his colleagues in the music industry decided to respond to the indescribable suffering due to drought, famine and hunger in Africa by organising a huge fundraising concert. This was a huge success in terms of raising awareness and money. A massive $100 million was raised and a wave of optimism grew from this effort. Yet 20 years later, little has changed in some of the same countries that the Live Aid featured in one of the largest fundraising events ever staged.
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Mixed response to G8 aid
The G8 summit, shaken by terrorist attacks in London, concluded with world leaders offering increased aid packages for Africa and a pledge to address global change. However reaction to the summit outcome was mixed with celebrity rock stars declaring victory while development agencies expressed disappointment. Sydney Morning Herald. ( Caritas Australia's own position is one of optimism.)
Australia to forgive debt
Australia is set to forgive debts of $72 billion owed by the most heavily indebted countries. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that a cabinet decision was recently made giving in-principle support to a G8 proposal to forgive billions of dollars owed by African and Latin American countries. Sydney Morning Herald
Indigenous health problems remain despite other improvements
A report on disadvantage in Indigenous communities has found that while some improvements have been experienced since 1994, Indigenous Australians will die on average 17 years before other Australians and still suffer significantly poorer health. However the study reveals an increase in the number of Indigenous students attending secondary school and post secondary education, greater participation in the labour force and higher rates of home ownership among Indigenous people. ABC |
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Ethical sneakers
An anti-globalisation organisation is producing environmentally friendly and union-made sneakers to counter the dominance of the huge sports shoe companies. But can an ethical corporation avoid capitalist tendencies? The Age
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G8 plans could save more lives than a thousand bomb blasts threaten
"What emerged on Friday morning - without quite Geldof's gift for arithmetic - was life, not death; more life than a thousand bomb attacks could threaten. And we need to hang on to that, and to the momentum that Live 8 helped give our longest week, once the last sack of rubble beneath Russell Square is cleared." Peter Preston, The Guardian
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G8: Guardian Special Report
An extensive coverage of the G8 summit including news articles on all aspects of the G8 summit, Live 8 concerts, full texts from G8 statements and links to other issues such as famine, globalisation and debt relief.
www.guardian.co.uk/g8/0,13365,967228,00.html
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Compass
The Artist, The QC and The Refugee
The story of high profile refugee Aladdin Sasalem and his political struggle involving QC Julian Burnside and his wife, artist Kate Durham.
ABC TV - Sunday July 24 10.15pm |
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"We pray for ourselves who live in peace and quietness, that we may not regard our good fortune as proof of our virtue, or rest content to have our ease at the price of other men's sorrow and tribulation." Micah Challenge
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Make Poverty History urges Prime Minister Howard to follow the lead
The historic commitment by G8 leaders to address global poverty has left Australia appearing isolated, despite the fact that Australians are among the top five nations in the world for private donations to assist the poor. Jack de Groot, Chair of the make Poverty History campaign and National Director of Caritas Australia said that now Australia stands out among the 22 OECD developed countries in deciding not to make a substantial new aid commitment to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
Condolences for London bomb
The Make Poverty History coalition has offered its condolences to and prayers for those who were injured and the families and loved ones of those killed in the bomb blasts in London.
Cafod Disappointed with outcome from G8
The British Caritas agency CAFOD says that world leaders at the G8 summit have fallen short of what is needed to end global poverty. They say much more can still be done. |
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Globalisation
